


"The Girl Who Refused to Die" pt. 1.1

by ChaoticCliche23



Category: Original Work
Genre: Chronic Illness, Death Theme, Disability, Free Verse, Greek gods, Original Recipe, Poetry, poem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-06-30 14:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19854913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticCliche23/pseuds/ChaoticCliche23
Summary: Awhile ago, I was being super emo and thinking about how the relationship with death is probably the most intimate and consistent one those of us with chronic illnesses have, and that led to the idea for a retelling of the Persephone myth, but with Persephone as a chronically ill disabled girl constantly in and out of the hospital. Think "Flirting with Death" but literally lol. This is the very first part of what I came up with! I’ll post the rest weekly.This is another part of my mini-collection of death themed poems, called “An Internship with Death”.





	1. Chapter 1

It happened like it always does

The clock ticked, and then it didn’t

Everything stilled in his presence

Death’s grand fanfare:

Silence 

bellowing until his footsteps could be heard

echoing

in the hall

striding

toward her room, 

she knew

Just like the first time

after she’d refused to be taken

by his lackeys

like everyone else

One after the other, they would plead,

“Please, miss,

this doesn’t have to be

so difficult”

And she would glare at them,

the fiery red glow of her stubbornness

too hot for the icy minions

to stand

even in her weakened state

“Tell your boss,

he’ll have to come kill me himself.”

Persephone never expected him to answer her challenge

until one late night,

with Demeter asleep in the chair beside her,

the air grew heavy with his presence in the doorway

Death’s curiosity

of the girl who refused to die

proved too strong for his own good

And they became face to face

with each other’s undoing


	2. "The Girl Who Refused to Die" pt 1.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey continued!!!

Her heart beat flipped on the monitor   
once the smell of bonfires and mint  
blanketed the room  
She felt his weight on the bed  
Slow, familiar movements   
Effortless in his sway  
Crawling to hover carefully   
over her delicate form  
Avoiding the tubes and the wires tethering her   
away from him  
The only lines left between them   
There was always a single moment  
as he drew himself down  
closer and closer  
to her lips  
where Persephone worried that this was it  
The time he wouldn't play by her rules   
and take what he came for   
But he always stopped,   
just before his cursed lips would graze hers,  
and brushed his fingers   
along their outline   
asking,  
"how long will you make me wait, my love?"  
She would grin, slowly,  
knowing she was still safe   
The angelic glow of both  
his fixation   
and frustrations,  
flushing her papery skin with life once more  
She leaned even closer  
daring Death's indulgence  
"if you want me so bad,  
do something about it."

Hades would not   
But there would always be a next time


	3. "The Girl Who Refused to Die" pt. 1.3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next installment! I couldn't decide where to cut this one, so it's a little longer this time. We're finally getting to my favorite parts. A little competition for the reaper man ;) Helios helps Demeter find Persephone in the original myth, but I thought, since she is associated with Spring, and Spring usually signifies the return of the sun as well, it'd make sense if they also had fondness for each other.
> 
> I hope you like it!

He would wait  
Day after day, year after year  
Sometimes  
it felt like  
he was the one on the clock  
her pulse a constant taunting  
strong enough to pull him from his underground  
just to watch the simple act  
Of her living  
The brushing of her hair  
The harp melody of her hum  
a wondrous ritual  
For someone like him  
who only existed  
to those marked for dead  
Persephone always felt his presence  
lingering in the corners  
Catching his eyes in the mirror, she said with a smile,  
"If you're just gonna hover, you can at least zip me up."  
What was it about her  
that made the God obey?

She never left the lonely cottage  
unless her health demanded it  
Her mother,  
the relentless Demeter,  
was hellbent on keeping the girl  
hidden from the outside world  
and everything that could bring her to his arms  
quicker  
The only other soul as foolish  
as Hades  
to risk Demeter's wrath  
was the delicate kiss  
of the daylight's rays  
Persephone's love affair with the sun  
Light from Helios' sky glowed on her skin  
More naturally  
than Death ever could  
"What could you possibly get from him?"  
Jealousy in his voice  
so unbecoming of a regal God  
"He doesn't try to kill me," Persephone teased  
Hades laughed,  
A quiet, throaty sound that sent  
starving shivers  
up her spine  
"He wouldn't know where to start, my dear.  
All mortals must die,  
eventually."  
"Not me," Persephone never turned  
to look  
"Not yet."

But there was always a next time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who's read and left kudos so far! I'm glad people like it ^_^ I'll keep working hard for you!


	4. "The Girl Who Refused to Die" pt. 1.4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NO I DIDN'T FORGET IT WAS WEDNESDAY >_>
> 
> Have some implied sexy times and blood to make up for it ;) There's one more update after this!

The glory   
of hushed voices and   
moonlight touches  
His cold arms wrapped around her  
showing exactly how good   
forever   
would be   
"Come with me. Come with me. Come with me."  
And Persephone   
aching to say yes  
was always reminded   
of her mother across the hall  
collapsed on the couch  
from exhaustion  
after staying up to help with her cares  
a vision of her hopeless tears if she left   
and the world she loved fading   
colorless   
without her presence   
was enough to push him away   
and say,  
"You know not what you ask of me"

The glory always came   
to an end   
In the backyard   
Helios' blessings  
beaming down to grace his favorite maiden  
but was otherwise incredibly   
ill-prepared   
to deal with the fields   
of her mother's flowers   
swaying   
in the wind  
stained red from the blood  
gushing   
out of her mouth   
and nose  
with every choking cough  
Pomegranate seeds  
bursting free from her lungs

There would always be a next time


	5. "The Girl Who Refused to Die" pt. 1.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final installment!!!!! We all know how the story ends, but I hope you still like what I did with it!

The longer this went on  
the less  
She could lift her head from the pillow  
or smile  
"Please, beloved," Hades begged. "I can't watch you, wasting.  
It doesn't have to be suffering.  
Why do you insist on remaining?  
Am I not enough?"  
A little smile twitched at her mouth  
The stubborn flickering  
of life's flame  
refusing to give in to him  
"No.  
Never.  
It is never enough."  
"I want love, I want hunger, I want heartbreak and anger,  
I want the moon, I want trees, I want air, I want rain,  
I want my mother, my own garden, I want pain,  
and the sea and the sun and the stars and the moon  
I want nothing and  
I want it all.  
How can you make me choose?"

By the next time, Hades  
could watch no longer  
The pull of the promise  
in her pulse  
no longer as thrilling as  
the glowering of love  
in his hollow chest  
Persephone could sense an ending in his approach  
The death rattle in her lungs  
His summoning call  
"Please." He said, as he always did  
but this time, there was an offering  
in his hands  
Kneeling down  
he brought the fruit to her lips  
"Eat this"  
She grimaced  
"What is it?"  
still untrustworthy, unyielding  
all the things he loved about her  
"Immunity  
from me.  
What my kiss will do,” he said.  
“And in exchange,  
Spend half your days at spring's side  
and the rest with me  
as my Queen."  
As long as their dance had gone on  
logic  
should dictate  
that Persephone hesitate  
like all the times before  
But her lips were already around the fruit  
Juices  
like holy wine  
staining the rigid hospital gown  
the moment she heard  
she could finally taste  
Death  
without fear  
and rule  
the place that could never claim her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who enjoyed this poem! This is the first piece I've ever posted that's gotten bookmarks before, and I can't tell you how excited I was!!!!! I literally screeched about it on every social media I have lol. I'd love to hear what you liked about it, or what made you like/bookmark! I hope you stick around and check out some of my other stuff. But even if you don't, I love and appreciate your brief presence dearly ^_^
> 
> Thanks again everyone!!!!


End file.
